Op-ed: Who Made Who? [with apologies to AC/DC]

Dear Purdue Faculty,

I have been the faculty advisor for the Purdue chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America since it began several years ago. One of the founding members was an anthropology student who asked me if I would take on this role, which I did, gladly. The YDSA is one of the student organizations that began the ongoing protest in Memorial Mall.

While students at other universities around the country are being viciously attacked by the police, and on at least one campus by far-right extremists, things have been different here. And I am happy to give credit where credit is due and acknowledge how much I appreciate Purdue’s willingness to let this peaceful protest full of music, dance, poetry, art and lectures (because professors gonna professor) continue without forcing a confrontation with law enforcement.

The lectures have been greatly appreciated by the students and they would like to see more of you there. But my immediate concern is that student leaders are being threatened with suspension.

I am privileged to teach the extraordinary students at Purdue, and the students in the YDSA are the best of them. Pundits have been musing disingenuously about the motives of student protesters. In short, these students are motivated by empathy for people who have no effective legal path for justice, who have been the target of ethnic cleansing for decades and who are now the victims of genocide. These students are dedicated to doing something to help them.

I was not this serious or thoughtful when I began college in 1987. I soon became bored and, unsure of what I wanted to do, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. This may sound corny and naïve to some, but I was motivated in part by the desire to serve my country. I liked the idea of doing something for others, of doing my part.

I am proud of the student protesters at Purdue because I see in them the same desire to “do your part” for others and this country. These students love Purdue and they love America and they believe we can be better and that the United States must do more for Palestinians.

That bar is set heart-breakingly low right now. Indiana recently passed legislation inspired by the belief that liberal professors are creating a woke mob on university campuses. But these students, and the other students I teach every semester, with their tough questions and willingness to stand up for each other and speak out on behalf of others, have made me who I am today as a university professor. Who Made Who?

Last semester a Palestinian-American student in my Native American Cultures course asked if he could announce a campus event intended to create a dialogue where students could ask questions about Gaza and discuss. I said, “Sure.” The student gave the details on this event and then commented to the class on the similarities between what Native Americans experienced and are still experiencing in various ways today when compared to Palestinians.

In much the same way federal and state governments in the U.S. used the law to deny rights to Native Americans at every opportunity, making their very existence illegal or dangerous even when not officially at war, this has been the Palestinian experience. When the student finished talking a voice in my head was saying “Oh no,” but then the class applauded, catching me completely off guard.

While an Anthropology graduate student at the University of Arkansas I spent 14 months in 1998 and 1999 conducting research for my master’s degree in archaeology at Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan. There are an estimated 3 million Palestinians in Jordan. Not just from Gaza and the West Bank but from throughout what was Palestine.

It is difficult to capture in words the warmth, love, and support I received from Jordanian and Palestinian students, faculty, lab co-workers, and everyone I met. When I returned to the U.S. I told myself I would not be intimidated into silence on the topic of Palestinian refugees.

I soon found myself in situations where people would casually dismiss Palestinian concerns and I was ready to speak up, I did, and learned most people were not interested. At. All. Time wore on and I engaged less and less on this topic and somewhere along the way without even realizing it, I retreated into a comfortable silence rarely thinking of Palestinians. Family, job, new research projects and life goes on for me. But life has only gotten more difficult for Palestinians.

We tell our young that adults must make tough decisions. Adults are not allowed to prioritize being popular over doing what is right. Make no mistake, the students protesting right now are the “adults in the room.” As adults, they understand the consequences of their actions and know what might happen.

The YDSA does not need me. I believe in them and support them and could not be more proud of them but I am just the guy who signs their annual club reactivation form and who they keep in the loop about activities. I do not direct their activities or tell them what to think or how to feel. I have discussed with them the possible results of this protest. The Purdue YDSA chapter could be banned, or I could be removed as faculty advisor. We hope that does not happen but in the context of speaking out against genocide, we agree these are minor concerns.

If you are ready to “do your part,” this is what you can do for your students: though Purdue has refrained from involving law enforcement, four student leaders are being threatened with suspension. I have read the rules and had conversations with students and can attest that reasonable people could disagree on what is or is not allowed.

More importantly, this is a peaceful protest. Purdue students and faculty have rights beyond those specific to a student organization. Let students and the Purdue administration know you support Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom, not just in theory, but in practice. Or what about Intellectual Diversity?

I hear that is all the rage these days and these students are providing an otherwise missing perspective on this issue at Purdue. The Israeli military has destroyed every university in Gaza. Your silence and inaction send a very clear message to all of Purdue’s students. Please contact the Office of the Dean of Students by phone at 765-494-1747 or emailosrr@purdue.edu or however you can best make yourself heard, and let them know these students should not be suspended. Please act quickly.

These students want you to care that well over 30,000 men, women, and children have been murdered by a U.S. ally as revenge for an attack they had nothing to do with. They want you to care that the U.S. is sending bombs to a country that is using them on a civilian population.

The students began this protest seeking a response from President Chiang regarding Purdue’s involvement with firms and research associated with the oppression of Palestinians. Let President Chiang know the students are still waiting to hear from him by calling 765-494-9708 or emailing president@purdue.edu.

If you are not in a precarious employment position at Purdue, e.g., untenured faculty or here on a visa, please visit and interact with the student protesters, even if just for a few minutes. They really would like to see you. And we need them.

As far as what they need? They might need another bag of Oreos due to my stress-eating at the “camp” while worrying about students getting suspended. But check first, there may be other priorities. They will protest without you, but they deserve your support. If you are Purdue faculty and you read this and are motivated to speak out and show up it will be the most important thing I ever write as an academic.

Now I am going to the “camp” to explain to the students who AC/DC is while they go about the serious business of a protest full of hope for the future.

Sincerely,

H. Kory Cooper

Associate Professor

Department of Anthropology